Many recipes like Caesar salad and chocolate mousse call for raw eggs, but if you’re squeamish like me about using them, here is a way to reduce the risk of salmonella.

Place the eggs in a pot with cold water. Put the water on medium heat. You don’t want the temperature of the water to exceed 150 degrees. If you want to be exact, keep a thermometer probe in the water. When you pasteurize eggs, you bring them up to about 140-150 degrees for 3-5 minutes depending on the age and the size of the eggs. If the temperature goes any higher you start to cook the egg. When you reach this temperature, try to keep it there and watch so the temperature doesn’t rise. Pasteurizing eggs won’t completely eliminate the risks that eating raw eggs bring, but it will reduce the chance of contamination.